Warriors AU: Forest of Secrets

Chapter 8

Sandstorm crouched in the nursery, watching a litter of kits suckling their mother. For a moment he was filled with excitement to see the tiny creatures who were the future of the Clan.

Then something stirred in his mind. Thunderclan had no kits as young as these. Where had they come from? He let his gaze travel from the kits to their mother and saw nothing but a rippling pelt of silver-gray, dark reddish-brown and black. The queen had no face.

Sandstorm choked back a cry of horror. As he stared, the dark reddish-brown shape of the queen began to fade, leaving nothing but darkness. The kits squirmed and let out squeals of terror and loss. A bitterly cold wind rose and swept away the warm scents of the nursery. Sandstorm leaped to his paws and tried to follow the sound of the helpless kits, lost in the windblown darkness. "I can't find you!" he wailed. "Where are you?"

Then a light appeared, soft and golden. Sandstorm could see another cat sitting in front of him with the tiny kits sheltered between his paws. It was Spottedleaf.

Sandstorm opened his mouth the speak to him. He gave him a look of infinite kindness before the image vanished, and Sandstorm found himself scrabbling among the mossy bedding in the warriors' den.

"Do you have to make so much racket?" Ferncloud was grumbling. "No cat can get a wink of sleep."

Sandstorm sat up. "Sorry," he mumbled. He couldn't help glancing toward the center of the den, where Goldenflower slept. The deputy had complained before about the noise Sandstorm made when he was dreaming.

To his relief, Goldenflower wasn't there. Sandstorm could see from the light that filtered through the branches that the sun was already above the trees. He gave himself a quick wash, trying to hide from Ferncloud how much the dream had shaken him. Frightened, lonely kits... kits whose mother faded away. Was it a prophecy? And if so, what could it mean? There were no kits that young in the Clan now. Or was it about the former Thunderclan kits—Blackclaw and Stonefur? Had their real mother disappeared somehow?

While he was washing, Ferncloud gave him a final glare and pushed his way out through the branches, leaving Sandstorm alone except for Longtail and Dappletail, sleeping in their usual places.

There was no sign of Silverstream, Sandstorm noticed, and his bedding was cold, as if he had been out since dawn. Gone to meet Graystripe, he guessed. He tried to understand his friend's strength of feeling, but he couldn't help worrying, and longing for the old uncomplicated days when they were apprentices together. Sandstorm poked his head out of the branches to see the snow-covered camp glittering under the cold leaf-bare sun. No sign of a thaw yet.

Beside the nettle patch, Fireheart was crouching over a piece of fresh-kill. "Good morning, Sandstorm," she greeted him cheerfully. "If you want to eat, you'd better o it quickly, while there's still some prey left."

Sandstorm realized that his belly was aching with hunger. It felt as if he hadn't eaten for a moon. He bounded over to the pile of fresh-kill and saw that Fireheart was right. Only a few pieces remained. He chose a starling and took it back to the nettle patch to eat with Fireheart. "We'll have to hunt today," he meowed between mouthfuls.

"Brindleface and Mousefur have already gone out with their new apprentices," Fireheart told him. "Cloudpaw and Blossompaw couldn't wait!"

Sandstorm wondered if Silverstream had taken his apprentice out, too, but a moment later Sorrelpaw emerged alone from the apprentices' den. The tortoiseshell and white tom looked around before trotting over to Sandstorm.

"Have you seen Silverstream?" he called.

"Sorry." Sandstorm shrugged. "He was gone when I woke up."

"He's never here," Sorrelpaw mewed sadly. "If this goes on, Swiftpaw will be a warrior before me—Cloudpaw and Blossompaw too."